Creating Healthy Places Guidebook

The Creating Healthy Places Guidebook is the culminating publication of the Health+Design Initiative's multi-year, grant-funded project at the University of Colorado Denver. It brings together research, studio work, community engagement, and expert knowledge to provide a practical resource for planners, designers, and community decision-makers who want to build health into the fabric of Colorado communities.

About the Guidebook

The Guidebook was developed over multiple years through the work of interdisciplinary student teams, faculty, and the Colorado Healthy Places Collaborative. It compiles best practices, design patterns, planning strategies, and evaluation tools organized around eight key dimensions of community health. Each section provides actionable guidance that practitioners can apply directly to their projects.

Unlike a traditional planning document, the Guidebook is designed to be used iteratively — as a starting point for project scoping, a reference during design development, and an audit tool for evaluating completed plans and programs. It is meant to be consulted repeatedly throughout the planning and design process, not just once.

Guidebook Structure

Introduction and Framework

The Guidebook opens with an overview of the relationship between health and the built environment, introducing the eight health categories that organize the rest of the publication. It explains the research base for health-integrated design, describes how to use the Guidebook in professional practice, and provides context for the creating healthy places project that produced it.

Eight Health Chapters

The core of the Guidebook is organized into eight chapters, one for each health category:

• Equity and Justice — Addressing disparities in health outcomes and designing for inclusion
• Human Wellbeing — Designing for physical and mental health, stress reduction, and social connection
• Harmony with Nature — Integrating green infrastructure, ecological systems, and biophilic design
• Education and Wellness — Providing access to health education, wellness facilities, and lifelong learning opportunities
• Economic Resiliency — Supporting stable employment, local economic development, and financial health
• Healthy Homes and Buildings — Ensuring safe, comfortable, and sustainable indoor environments
• Healthy Community — Building vibrant, safe, and connected neighborhoods
• Healthy Connections — Promoting walkability, transit access, and mobility options for all

Design Patterns and Best Practices

Each chapter includes design patterns — proven, repeatable solutions that address specific health challenges in the built environment. Patterns are drawn from the studio work in Sun Valley, from national precedents, and from the expertise of the Colorado Healthy Places Collaborative network. Each pattern includes a description, application guidance, and examples.

Implementation Tools

The Guidebook concludes with practical implementation tools, including project evaluation checklists, stakeholder engagement strategies, and guidance on integrating health into existing planning frameworks such as comprehensive plans, zoning codes, and capital improvement programs.

Companion Tools

The Guidebook works best as part of a suite of Health+Design Initiative tools:

Contact HDI

For more information about the Creating Healthy Places Guidebook, including bulk distribution, permissions, or educational licensing, contact the Health+Design Initiative through our Contact page. We welcome partnerships with organizations seeking to promote health-integrated planning and design throughout Colorado.